Serve New York AmeriCorps VISTA Education Advocacy Project

Program Start Date:

Members will attend a Pre-Service Orientation (July 31-August 3, 2017) and start their term of service on August 4, 2017.

Project Description:

Legal Assistance of Western New York®’s (LawNY®) Geneva office seeks one AmeriCorps VISTA Member to serve in our Education Advocacy Project. LawNY® is a not-for-profit law firm which provides civil legal services to low-income clients in a fourteen-county region in western New York State. The Geneva office serves five of those fourteen counties (Livingston, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates) and provides representation primarily in the areas of housing, public benefits, family, education, consumer, health and elder law. LawNY® has six other offices located in Bath, Elmira, Ithaca, Jamestown, Olean and Rochester, New York.

Through outreach, community education, and capacity building, the VISTA member will help LawNY® continue the development of a project that will (1) conduct outreach to community organizations and discuss effective strategies for filling gaps in current education advocacy services; (2) recruit and train pro bono attorneys; and (3) review outcomes for continual program improvement. Our AmeriCorps VISTA member will also help us identify and secure resources to make this a permanent part of our service delivery system.

LawNY® is looking for a talented and dedicated AmeriCorps VISTA member to help develop the project into something that can meet the community’s needs now and for years to come. Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree, strong writing skills, and strong verbal communication skills. Prior experience working with families, non-profit organizations and/or low income/disadvantaged households is preferred. The member should have a commitment to eliminating poverty and its effects in our communities and to high standards of professional performance. The member’s activities will include outreach, seeking financial resources to sustain the project, developing relationships with community partners, organizing outreach events, recruiting volunteers to assist with various phases of the project, and helping to better serve the project’s clients.

Serve New York and LawNY® present an opportunity to be part of a great AmeriCorps VISTA team, excellent training and mentoring, and a chance to make a critical difference in the lives of low income people and their communities. The member will team with dedicated professionals, including other AmeriCorps members, in an established poverty law program.

Benefits of AmeriCorps VISTA Service:

$17,170 annual stipend, paid as follows:

$11,881 annual stipend (paid in increments bi-weekly) from AmeriCorps Serve New York VISTA Program

$5,289 housing allowance ($440.75 per month) paid by LawNY®

Option of a $5,815 education award or a $1,500 cash stipend presented at the end of a year of service

Deferment of qualified federal and some private student loans

Year long position with possibility of 2nd year

Post-service federal employment incentives and opportunities

Health care, child care, life insurance available

Intensive trainings and member support

Member Qualifications:

Requires full-time service

Applicant can have outside, part-time employment

Bachelor’s degree required

Excellent communication and writing skills

Applicants should be enthusiastic, committed to an ethic of service and interested in serving the communities of New York State

Self-initiative and past experience in volunteering and/or within the non-profit sector encouraged

Application Procedure:

Applicants should email a letter of interest, a resume, and the names of three references to Kate Woods, Managing Attorney of LawNY®’s Geneva office, at the following email address: lawnyapplications"at" lawny "dot" org. Applicants will also need to submit an application to the general program posting at:

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